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[Deck] UWx Stoneblade

UWx StoneBlade

UWx StoneBlade is a control deck (or rather, an archetype of control decks) built around the powerful Stoneforge Mystic together with some of the powerful blue staples of Legacy. After the initial printing of Stoneforge Mystic and Jace, the Mind Sculptor in 2011, Stoneblade quickly climbed up the ranks of the Legacy format. The deck fell out of favor a few years after that, when most players defaulted to an incredibly strong Miracle Control deck powered by Senseiís Divining Top. But after the ban of Top in April 2017, Stoneblade has re-emerged as a viable UW control shell, offering a resilient mana base together with a powerful suite of answers and win conditions.

Preface: Deathrite Shaman or no Deathrite Shaman?

Deathrite Shaman has found its way into Stoneforge Mystic decks ever since the broken Elf was printed in RTR block, giving rise to a new archetype (Esper Deathblade) for which the primer can be found here. This primer is focused on UWx Stoneblade decks that do not play Deathrite Shaman.

Deathrite Shaman is certainly very powerful, but there are a couple of reasons why one might choose to forgo it. DRS requires either stretching your mana base to 4 colors to accommodate, or playing a single copy of Tropical Island in your Esper deck. This might not seem significant at first but stretching from 2 colors (plus a possible splash) to 3-4 colors makes the mana base much more susceptible to Wasteland and powerful land hosers like Blood Moon and Back to Basics, while also taking away your ability to play those land hosers yourself. Traditional UWx Stoneblade is often able to fetch only basic lands for the first few turns of the game, whereas Deathblade is not able to do so. This significantly improves our matchup against Wasteland decks like Delver and Death and Taxes, as well any prison decks running Blood Moon.

I. The Deck

Core cards

Stoneforge MysticBatterskullUmezawaís Jitte
The namesake ďpackageĒ of the deck and one of its main ways of stabilizing the board and generating card advantage. Batterskull is essentially a 4/4 Lifelink creature that can be deployed turn 3 with SFM and bounced for re-use later in the game, if needed. The self-bounce ability can also protect the batterskull itself from removal.

Umezawa's Jitte is widely regarded as the most busted Equipment card, for good reason - it quickly takes over the game against any kind of creature deck. Jitte's ability triggers on any combat damage - not just combat damage to a player - which means that even if the opponent has blockers available, Jitte is still going to devastate their board if they can't either answer it or clear your own board quickly. Jitte's ability to give opposing creatures -1/-1 by removing a counter is certainly its most powerful, but the lifegain ability can also be very relevant against decks like Delver or Burn, and the +2/+2 ability can help you kill a combo player faster or protect the creature holding Jitte from removal.

SFM has some other uses as well, like grabbing a Sword of X and Y that shines in a particular matchup, or simply acting a way to shuffle post-Brainstorm. One common trick is to Brainstorm an equipment back on top of your library, then play SFM to fetch it.

When playing SFM, youíll often have to choose between tutoring for Batterskull or Umezawaís Jitte. Going for Jitte is often the better option against decks with removal because itís better to have in hand in case your SFM is killed. Against decks with lots of small creatures (Death and Taxes, Elves) youíll generally want to grab Jitte as well.

Important note about using SFM and Batterskull: Sometimes you will have a situation where you have an SFM and a Batterskull on board with no Germ token, and at least 5 mana available. In this position you might want to pay 3 to return Batterskull to your hand, then activate SFM to put it back in play with a new token. However, this will allow your opponent to kill SFM in response to you returning Batterskull, which will leave you with the Batterskull stuck in hand. A better way to accomplish the same thing is to:

1) Activate SFMís ability, holding priority - In a paper game, do this by saying ďIíll hold priority and activate SFMĒ or something similar. On MODO, hold Ctrl and then activate the ability.

2) In response to your own SFMís ability, pay 3 to return Batterskull to your hand.

3) Batterskullís ability will resolve first, then SFMís ability will resolve and you can put Batterskull into play.

This is a better line because even if your opponent were to kill SFM in response to you activating Batterskull, the ability is already on the stack and you will still be able to put Batterskull into play.

Brainstorm
Widely regarded as the best card in Legacy and for good reason, Brainstorm is just way too good not to play as a 4 of in a control deck. For one mana at instant speed, you can draw three cards and shuffle your two worst cards back into your deck with a fetch land. This powerful card selection engine allows you to find the answers you need, avoid mana flood and mana screw, and trade Equipment cards in your hand for new cards in the event that your Stoneforge Mystic gets killed. Brainstorm also provides some protection against discard effects like Thoughtseize, Cabal Therapy and Hymn to Tourach by allowing you to ďhideĒ important cards on top of your library.

In general you want to be as patient as you can with your Brainstorms: donít cast Brainstorm just because you have mana available, cast it when you need an answer for something, need lands ASAP, or have some other particular use for it in mind. Being patient this way will help you avoid the dreaded ďBrainstorm lockĒ, i.e., having to put two bad cards on top of your deck without a way to shuffle them back in.

Ponder
Ponder is the deckís other cantrip/card selection tool. Recently control decks have been moving toward playing 4 Ponders, with players deciding that the card selection it provides, while not as strong as Brainstorm, is powerful enough to mitigate its downsides. Namely, adding more ďairĒ to your deck (cards that cost mana but donít interact with the board or the stack) and making you more vulnerable to cantrip hate like Chalice of the Void, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Trinisphere.

I strongly believe that playing 4 Ponders is the right choice, however, if you donít want to play Ponder, youíll want to up your land count to 22 or 23.

Swords to Plowshares
Hands down the best removal spell in the format, and the main reason to play white in your control deck. Hits every relevant threat in the format except True Name Nemesis, including Marit Lage. Unless youíre in a super inbred combo-heavy meta you should be running 4 of these main deck.

Force of Will
The best universal answer card we have, protecting you from all the degenerate nonsense Legacy has to offer. This isnít the only place Force of Will shines, however. While people will commonly tell you the card is poor against ďfairĒ decks, it is often still very relevant as it can counter a key threat that you have no other answer for, or protect your SFM as a last-ditch effort to stabilize the board. Play 4 Force of Wills and donít try to get cute by moving one to the sideboard.

True-Name Nemesis
At first it may seem odd to include a beater in a control deck, but TNN is still worthy of inclusion because of its raw power and its synergy with Equipment, particularly Umezawaís Jitte. TNN helps stabilize against creature decks, ensures that your Jitte connects against decks that might otherwise make it difficult (Elves with Wirewood Symbiote on board, D&T with Thalia and/or Mother of Runes). TNN can also just give you some free wins against decks that are likely to out grind you in a longer game, e.g. Lands, 4 color Loam, Czech Pile, etc.

Snapcaster Mage
So now that youíre convinced Brainstorm is a good card, donít you think itíd be nice if we could play a few more copies without having to worry about those pesky judges and their deck checks? Snapcaster Mage allows us to reuse our Brainstorms and other powerful cheap spells, and provides a 2/1 body that can hold a Jitte if needed, protect True-Name from an Edict effect, or even slowly close out the game.

Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Once you play against an opponent who drops Jace on an empty board against you, you will quickly figure out how powerful this card is. Though very expensive by Legacy standards, Jace is quick to completely take over a game after he resolves against nearly any archetype. Brainstorm is good. Brainstorm every turn will bury your opponent. In addition to the busted 0 ability, Jace can protect himself from attacks the turn you play him with his -1, or from Lightning Bolt with +2. The ultimate provides a win condition when necessary, but do not prematurely start +2íing Jace towards the ultimate - by doing this you are passing up card advantage and giving your opponent a window to get back into the game. Usually itís better to Brainstorm until you have the game locked up, then work toward the ultimate if you need.

Counterspell
Tied with Swords to Plowshares for oldest card in the deck, messing with peopleís spells since Alpha. Thereís not too much to be said about Counterspell; at 2 mana itís a little slow and clunky for a format as efficient as Legacy, but, itís still a great tool against combo decks and serviceable against fair decks as well.

Other card choices

Sword of Fire and Ice
The other equipment worth considering for the main deck, it shines in some matchups where Batterskull and Umezawaís Jitte are both lackluster. In control mirrors, Sword provides card advantage while also giving you a quick clock and the ability to attack through Baleful Strix and True-Name Nemesis(!). Against combo, Sword helps you dig for more disruption while killing your opponent.

In general, the other Swords of X and Y (Feast and Famine, Light and Shadow, War and Peace, and Body and Mind) are not strong enough to run in this deck, but could be considered as sideboard options for certain metagames.

Spell Pierce
A couple copies of Spell Pierce are often included in the main deck, primarily as tools to fight spell-based combo decks. However, they are also good answers to Chalice of the Void, opposing Jaces, Liliana of the Veil, and is rarely a dead card because it can always be used on a Brainstorm, Ponder, etc.

Engineered Explosives
Provides extra removal that often scores you a 2+-for-1 against Delver decks and other decks with small creatures. Also can be used to blow up Chalice of the Void for 2 mana, or sweep a board full of Empty the Warrens tokens.

Councilís Judgement
Probably the most catch-all answer to permanents there is as it kills even True-Name Nemesis and Progenitus. A 1WW though, the cost is rather steep, and this card can be clunky. Still a good card, but probably not something you want more than 1-2 of.

Vendilion Clique
Once considered one of the most powerful creatures in the format, Vendilion Clique has lost a lot of popularity as the format has gotten faster and more efficient. It is still a good card though, and worth considering in Stoneblade decks. It can provide disruption and a clock simultaneously against combo decks, or can be flashed in EoT to kill an opponentís Jace the Mind Sculptor or Liliana of the Veil, or to initiate a counter war that allows you to resolve your own Jace during your turn. It also has a neat synergy with Karakas, allowing you abuse its trigger over and over again to effectively fate seal your opponent on their draw step every turn while beating in for 3.

Supreme Verdict
Wrath effect that gets through Daze and Force of Will. Provides card advantage and a way to stay alive against creature decks, but at 4 mana is also pretty slow, and gives your opponent the chance to repopulate the board after youíve tapped out for it. Good card, but Terminus itís not.

Spell Snare
Has lost a lot of relevance now that Dark Confidant and Tarmogoyf are no longer at the forefront of the format, and Counterbalance is rarely played as well. Still good for countering Chalice of the Void, Snapcaster Mage, Infernal Tutor, Young Pyromancer, Stoneforge Mystic, Hymn to Tourach and a handful of other cards.

Standstill
Very powerful card advantage engine. For those unfamiliar, the idea is to play Standstill and then a manland like Mishraís Factory or Faerie Conclave that will force your opponent to break Standsitll and allow you to draw 3 cards. While powerful, the Standstill engine requires running 4-5 manlands and usually 4 Wastelands as well, weakening the mana base significantly. Itís not very common nowadays, but if your meta is full of control decks, it could be worth considering.

Ancestral Vision
Was commonly used in early UW Stoneblade lists as a source of card advantage. Suspending AV on turn 1 against midrange and other control decks is very powerful, however, it is a near dead draw later in the game. This is just one of those cards that Legacy may have left behind as the format became more and more efficient (interactions with Shardless Agent aside).

Spell Queller
Iíve seen a few lists running this card lately, presumably as extra combo disruption that can also provide a clock/hold equipment similar to Vendilion Clique. Iím not sure if itís really better than Clique, but it seems to be working for some people, so give it a try if youíre inclined.

Squadron Hawk
Ok, now we are getting into the super fringeÖpart of the original ďCaw bladeĒ deck that got Stoneforge Mystic and Jace banned from Standard a while back, Hawk can provide card advantage by fetching up copies of himself that can later be turned into real cards by Brainstorm or Jace. The extra bodies can be useful with equipment as well. Realistically though, I think this card is too slow for Legacy, though Iíve seen it in a couple of lists from time to time.

Fetch lands make up the core of the manabase - they are the most powerful lands in Legacy, due to their amazing interaction with Brainstorm as well as their ability to provide any color of mana you need (for example, if you're playing Esper list, your Flooded Strands can fetch Tundra or Underground Sea, providing you access to U,W, or B). Of course you need the original duals to actually fetch, and basic lands to fetch against decks with Wasteland or Blood Moon.

Whether or not to include Wasteland is an interesting choice. It is a very powerful utility land, giving you another means of interacting with things like Dark Depths + Thespianís Stage, or Grove of the Burnwillows + Punishing Fire. However, Stoneblade is a very mana intensive deck, and does not have any mana acceleration. For this reason, trading your land drop for an opponentís land will often be better for them than you, especially against decks that have Deathrite Shaman to fix their mana. Most Stoneblade decks opt to not include Wastelands at this point, but the debate is still open.

Karakas is another strong utility land that can deal with a Marit Lage token and is very strong against Show and Tell and Reanimator decks trying to cheat Legendary creatures into play. It also has a neat synergy with Vendilion Clique that allows you to bounce and reuse Clique on your opponent's draw step every turn, effectively Fatesealing them. However, as a land that only taps for white and can be Wastelanded, it weakens the manabase to include. For this reason you'll typically see it played in straight UW builds, but not in splash lists - this is not a hard rule, however.

Sideboard options

Flusterstorm
Usually included in every Stoneblade sideboard. In addition to being good against Storm decks, flusterstorm is great against any spell based combo deck as well as Burn and UR Delver, and can be good in control mirrors that often involve counter wars over important threats like Jace, the Mind Sculptor.

Rest in Peace
Very powerful graveyard hate effect that shuts down Reanimator, Dredge, and Life from the Loam strategies. Shuts off our own Snapcaster Mages, but this is rarely relevant because in the matchups where you want RiP, youíre typically in such a good position to win when itís on the board that you donít care if it makes 3-4 of your cards bad.

Surgical Extraction
Another graveyard hate option that has additional use against pure combo decks like Show and Tell or Turbo Depths: despite not being reliant on the graveyard, these decks are severely crippled if they lose all 4 copies of one of their namesake cards. As graveyard hate, Surgical is not as impactful as Rest in Peace, however, it costs zero mana while RiP costs two. This is very relevant against BR Reanimator, which usually tries to go off on turn 1 or 2 before RiP can be played. If there is a lot of BR in your meta, Iíd recommend Surgical over RiP. Of course it doesnít hurt to play both cards!

Ethersworn Canonist
Playing white gives us the luxury of ďhate bearsĒ (2/2 creatures that have relevant abilities to shut down combo strategies). Canonist is the hate bear of choice against Storm decks, as they simply cannot win the game without removing it first. Itís also useful against Show and Tell decks since it prevents them from defending their Show and Tell with counter magic, and also stops Omniscience combos. It also stops Glimpse of Nature chains and Wirewood Symboite shenanigans against Elves.

Containment Priest
Hate beat of choice against decks trying to cheat creatures into play, such as Show and Tell, Reanimator and Dredge. Itís also good against Elves (Green Sunís Zenith, Natural Order) and against Death and Taxes (Aether Vial). Wonít save you against Omniscience though, so be aware of that.

Meddling Mage
Not usually as powerful as Canonist or Priest, but this hate bear is a little more versatile and can still be devastating. Can name Show and Tell or Sneak Attack against Sneak and Show to shut off half their enablers, or name Infernal Tutor against storm to shut off their main payoff card. Also decent against Lands (naming Life from the Loam or Punishing Fire), Dredge (naming Cabal Therapy or Dread Return), and Elves (naming Green Sunís Zenith, Elvish Visionary, or Natural Order).

Disenchant
Funnily enough, the original way of destroying artifacts and enchantments in white is still probably the best way of doing so in this deck. While one mana cheaper, Fragmentize is no good since it canít hit Chalice of the Void (on 1).

Invasive Surgery
This rather new card offers additional disruption against combo decks, almost all of which include import sorceries. Against Storm and Show and Tell, donít expect it to be better than an Envelope most of the time, as youíll rarely have a creature or artifact in the yard to enable Delirium. Against Lands, though, it can sometimes allow you to ďextractĒ Life from the Loam in a way that canít be played around by Tranquil Thicket, which is cool.

Pithing Needle
Shuts down a bunch of relevant things for one mana. Including but not limited to: Deathrite Shaman (yep, itís not a mana ability), Aether Vial, Mother of Runes, Thespianís Stage, Sneak Attack, Wirewood SymbioteÖjust remember that it does NOTHING against Lionís Eye Diamond or Food Chain.

Gideon, Ally of ZendikarElspeth, Knight Errant
These planes walkers provide win conditions for grindy matchups against other control decks or midrange decks. Both are able to consistently power out tokens to pressure your opponent and any planes walkers they may have, as well as hold equipment. Be careful not to turn Gideon into a creature if you expect your opponent has Swords to Plowshares; this is a good way to throw a game.
[cards]

Path to Exile
Much worse than Swords to Plowshares usually, but can be the 5th/6th copies of StP in matchups where you want more cheap removal, and sometimes can even be better than StP - against Delver decks that donít play basics, or against decks that make Marit Lage.

Back to Basics
Powerful hoser against decks heavy on nonbasic lands. Not a complete lock, however, as your opponent can still fetch basics after the fact, or play a couple of untapped lands into Abrupt Decay or other removal. It can also be taxing on your own mana base, if you had to fetch or play a couple of Tundras earlier in the game. I recommend running BtB for sure in a straight UW list, but when splashing red, I think youíre better off with Blood Moon (will get to that).

Color splashes

Playing a straight UW Stoneblade list is very defensible, as it provides the most resilient mana base possible with the highest number of basic lands. However, because the existence of duals and fetch lands makes playing a 3 color mana base almost trivially easy in Legacy, Stoneblade lists will often include a 3rd color. Black was traditionally the most popular color to splash, but post Top-ban Stoneblade players seem to be favoring red. Both splashes have strengths and weaknesses as outlined in the following sections.

Red

With the exception of Lightning Bolt, the red splash is typically used only for sideboard cards, making it ďlighterĒ splash than the black splash typically.

PyroblastRed Elemental Blast
Possibly the best sideboard cards in all of Legacy, and one of the main reasons to splash Red. In a format where blue is king, itís no surprise that a card which can answer any blue spell or permanent for one mana is amazing. So much so that in Legacy, control mirrors are often decided by who draws more Pyroblasts (and Snapcaster Mages to flash them back).

Pyroblast is ever-so-slightly better than Red Elemental Blast because it can do things like kill Phantasmal Image copying a non-blue creature, but this is so fringe that you might be better off running a split of the two cards to hedge against Cabal Therapy type effects.

Blood Moon
The other big reason to splash red. Although straight UW decks can run Back to Basics as mentioned earlier, Blood Moon is a more powerful land hoser as it shuts off all future fetches, duals and utility lands.

RuinationFrom the Ashes
Other red land hate cards that can be used in place of Blood Moon, if you expect a lot of Abrupt Decays, or your opponent fetching their 1-2 basics in anticipation of Moon. I still think Blood Moon is much stronger in todayís meta, especially against Lands which is one of the main matchups I want nonbasic land hate for.

Lightning Bolt
If you want additional removal, thereís nothing wrong with playing a couple of Bolts in the main deck. Worse than StP, but still kills most 1 and 2-drop creatures in the format. The downside is that by fetching for Red mana against Delver or D&T, youíll open yourself up to a Wasteland by having to fetch Volcanic Island, or at least slow your mana development by fetching a Mountain. Usually, in these matchups we want to be fetching only Islands and Plains if possible, and trying to cast red cards early can mess with that plan.

Izzet Staticaster
Repeatable removal that cleans up tokens from Young Pyromancer or Empty the Warrens, and kills most cards from D&T and Elves as well as unflipped Delvers.

Grim Lavamancer
Another repeatable removal source thatís great against Delver, D&T, Elves, and 4 color control decks as well. Unlike static aster, it can kill Deathrite Shaman and flipped Delvers, and take planeswalkers off the table.

Pyroclasm
Another cheap sweeper that kills most relevant 1 and 2-drop creatures.

Splinter TwinDeceiver ExarchPestermite
Iím not sure how viable this is, but itís been tried. Perhaps the most controversial ban in the history of Magic when it was banned in Modern a couple of years ago, some players have been longing for a place to use their Splinter Twins, and UWr Stoneblade provides a reasonable shell for them. If youíre interested, you can check out Andrea Mengucciís video series on TwinBlade here

Black (written by The Source user glazed)

Including black in a UW Stoneblade deck gives you the opportunity to play some extremely powerful cards that can help in many matchups. Anyone thinking of trying Esper Stoneblade should take a look at this article this article written by Ben Friedman.

Esper, like most Stoneblade variants, is trying to gain incremental card advantage while using disruption and powerful threats to win the game. Although, Esper gives a player the tools to play proactive disruption in the form of discard spells.

Discard Effects (Thoughtseize and Collective Brutality):
Other Stoneblade decks rely on reactive disruption to control the game. With the inclusion of black and discard effects, you can play proactive disruption. Youíre now able to take resources away from your opponent before theyíre able to try and use them. Timing Thoughtseize right is key; you need to sequence it appropriately and disrupt their game plan. Thought seize can also clear the way for your game breaking cards like Meddling Mage, Containment Priest, True-Name Nemesis, and Jace, the Mindsculptor.

Having access to discard effects in the form of Thoughtseize and Collective Brutality help in many combo matchups. The most noteworthy combo decks in legacy are TES Storm, ANT Storm, and Sneak and Show. These matchups become easier when black is added. One of the most backbreaking lines of play against combo is:
T1: Thoughtseize
T2: Meddling Mage/Containment Priest/Collective Brutality
T3: Snapcaster Mage - Thoughtseize

Discard effects also help in scenarios found in fair matchups. Cards like Aether Vial, Karakas, and Brainstorm all let your opponent do tricky things, and discard lets you make your opponent use their resources in less effective ways.

Thoughtseize and Collective Brutality give you information on what is in your opponentís hand. This information is something you cannot get when playing UW or UWR Stoneblade. Knowing what answers your opponent has to your cards in your own hand lets you craft your game plan and sequence your spells more optimally. This is what proactive interaction can let you do. Reactive interaction (like counterspells) might not do the trick because your opponent could have answers that canít be countered, or they might have more than one answer. In these scenarios, discard, and the information you gain by looking at their hand, lets you play around everything.

Lingering Souls
This card is amazing in Stoneblade decks. There are times and metas where it is better to be playing Lingering Souls over True-Name Nemesis. The addition of Collective Brutality makes Lingering Souls even more powerful. Esper gets to play Supreme Verdict, as do all other UWx variants of Stoneblade. But Esper can quickly rebuild with Lingering Souls flashback. The inclusion and number of this card depends on your meta. Adding Lingering Souls to your deck makes planeswalkers like Sorin, Lord of Innistrad and Gideon, Ally of Zendikar much better. Youíre also able to play Humilty effectively in your sideboard.

Zealous Persecution
ZP is one of the reasons to be playing Esper. Itís uses are endless. The ability to kill Young Pyromancer and all the Elemental Tokens, killing True Name Nemesis, allowing a Stoneforge Mystic to block and kill Leovold, killing a swarm of white creatures out of Death and Taxes, letting a Germ with Batterskull on it kill a Gurmag Angler. ZP also counters Marsh Casualties and Toxic Deluge when theyíre used against you. Stoneblade decks typically have a tough time beating Elves, but having access to Zealous Persecution allows the deck to have another way to clear the board quickly. This card has so many uses and I typically sideboard two of them. At least one usually comes in against every deck with black in it.

Baleful StrixNightís Whisper
These do everything Esper wants. The immediate card advantage plays to this deckís strengths. Esper has the best matchup against Eldrazi Stompy because of the inclusion of Baleful Strix. Some people will opt for Nightís Whisper over Baleful Strix as they both provide immediate card advantage for two mana. If your meta leans towards Delver and Infect, play Baleful Strix. If thereís more 4c Leovold/Czech Pile and Stoneblade, play Nightís Whisper.

Diabolic Edict
This card helps in many matchups including Bant Deathblade, Turbo/Hex Depths, and Lands. There are many uses for this card, and it should have one or two spots somewhere in the 75.

Engineered Explosives
While any deck can play Engineered Explosives, Esper allows you to play it with a sunburst of three. Youíre also given the option to play Academy Ruins in collaboration with Baleful Strix and Academy Ruins. This interaction is game ending against decks that canít deal with Academy Ruins

Tasigur, the Golden FangGurmag Angler
Some players like to play 0-2 of these black delve threats. If youíre looking to race your opponent, these cards are usually the fastest way. Tasigur can help generate value in matchups like Shardless BUG and 4c Leovold/Czech Pile with itís activated ability. Tasigur is much worse than Gurmag Angler in a meta with a lot of Death and Taxes because Karakas is a blowout.

Fatal Push
Many players choose not to play Fatal Push and instead play a full set of Swords to Plowshares. Players add 0-2 Fatal Push, and if they are played, typically they are in the sideboard.

Bitterblossom
Similar to Lingering Souls, this card lets you quickly rebuild after a board wipe.

[cards]Mana Leak[cards]
Youíll have to play with basic lands in the first few turns, and youíll need to fetch your Scrubland more often than you think. Mana Leak is less strenuous on you mana base than Counterspell. You can also catch opponents off guard ;)

VindicateCouncilís Judgement
CJ is a clean answer to Leovold and True-Name Nemesis. But CJ is harder to cast having double white mana cost. Vindicate also can destroy lands that you may need to answer. It is possible to cast Vindicate through Blood Moon. Weigh these pros and cons for yourself, but definitely include one of them in the main deck.
Adding credit to the users Seraphix and ClimbGneiss :)

Weaknesses: Blood Moon and Wasteland recursion strategies are better against Esper than they are against UW and UWR Stoneblade. Esper plays a more greedy manabase that tries to play Ponder, Swords to Plowshares, and Thoughtseize on the early turns requiring you to fetch for dual lands early.
Your play style and flex slot choices determine your UBx matchups, but most variants of UBx are 45/55 matchups for Esper Stoneblade. Experience and intuition will determine whether you win or lose these matches. Shardless BUG is a 35/65 matchup and is typically tough to beat unless you tune Esper to have more Snapcaster Mage, Lingering Souls, and Fatal Push in the 75.

Esper has an unfavorable matchup against RG Lands. Esperís spells are very color intensive and require you to fetch dual lands early in the game. You canít play Blood Moon or Back to Basics like other Stoneblade decks. But you can always win off the back of True-Name Nemesis, Surgical Extraction, and Diabolic Edict.

II. Decklists

Stoneblade lists tend to vary quite a bit, but here are some examples for each variant:

Back in May of 2017, there were a few players who did well on MTGO with lists like these. They feature Nightís Whisper and attempt to gain more value with extra Snapcaster Mage.

In late 2016, a player did well at GP Chiba with this list. It plays two Tasigur, the Golden Fang and plays Crucible of Worlds in the sideboard in collaboration with Wasteland in the main deck.

The MKM Series Prague had a lot of Stoneblade players do well. This specific list is playing Notion Thief and three copies of Baleful Strix to try and combat 4c Leovold/Czech Pile decks.

This decklist plays some interesting sideboard choices like Blessed Alliance and Humility, which works well with Lingering Souls.

Joe Bernal has this list from an SCG event in 2012. This list was different in itís time, yet it never gained traction. It keeps the discard effects in the sideboard and plays Engineered Explosives and multiple basic lands in a meta filled with Delver of Secrets decks packing full playsets of Wasteland.

Here is my list, I am choosing to play Collective Brutality, Lingering Souls, and Baleful Strix in my flex slots:

Matchups will of course change a bit based on which color you splash and your specific sideboard, but the general idea should hold for each matchup.

Grixis Delver (favorable)
Grixis Delver decks are at the top of the format right now, packing an efficient mix of aggressive threats and disruptive spells. With a resilient mana base, flexible cheap removal, and the Stoneforge Mystic package to help stabilize, Blade decks have a good Delver matchup, which is one of the main reasons to consider playing the deck in the first place.

In this matchup, youíll want to look for opening hands that can deal with a couple of early threats. Try to play around Daze when possible, but not too much - if you are effectively adding a mana to the cost of every spell, you are playing right into their game plan. Play around Daze for spells that you really need to resolve, but donít be afraid to play into it otherwise if you are constrained on mana. If they have a good enough opener, you can easily fall too far behind on tempo to catch up, especially on the draw. But usually if you are able to survive the initial onslaught, youíll be able to stabilize with SFM, Snapcaster, Jace and True-Name.

Death and Taxes (even)
You have better card advantage engines and are favored in a longer game, however, they will sometimes tempo you out with Aether Vial early in the game. I like to force a turn 1 Vial, as D&T is just so much less scary without one on the field. Your plan in this matchup should be to grab Umezawaís Jitte and start connecting, at which point it will quickly invalidate their creatures. True-Name is very good, as it allows you to get through Mother of Runes and start going to town with your Jitte.

-2 Spell Pierce

+1 Izzet Staticaster
+1 Disenchant

Czech Pile/ 4c Control (unfavorable)
Sort of the hot deck at the moment, this is not a deck we really want to fight - the Stoneforge Mystic package does not line up well against Kolaghanís Command, Abrupt Decay and Snapcaster Mage, and they have more card advantage with more Snapcasters, Baleful Strix and Hymn to Tourach. However, you can still often win on the back of a True-Name Nemesis, which they have very few answers for, or by resolving a Jace and protecting it for a couple of turns.

Post board, I actually like cutting the Stoneforge Mystic package and trying to beat them through Jace, Blood Moon and True-Name.

Sneak and Show (favorable)
Perhaps the formatís scariest combo deck, as it can have some crazy nut draws that put Griselbrand or Emrakul into play with Force of Will backup on turn 1 or 2. However, this deck is often beatable with a couple of counter spells in game 1 and we get more answers after sideboarding. Itís a pretty straightforward matchup: your goal is to stop Show and Tell and Sneak Attack from resolving.
Ethersworn Canonist is a mixed bag here; itís good at preventing them from protecting their big spells with counters, but it also stops you from being able to use Snapcaster to flash back counters. Overall though, I think it is still worth bringing in. Meddling Mage is great as it shuts off one half of their enablers.

Storm combo (unfavorable)
This is probably my least favorite matchup to face with UWr Stoneblade out of the top decks in Legacy. We have a lot of relevant interaction, but the lack of a fast clock means that the Storm deck can often take the time to sculpt a hand to win through said interaction. We also have a lot of dead cards game 1.
The goal of the Storm deck is to cast ten spells and then a Tendrils of Agony in one turn. A key part of their combo is often, but not always, to resolve an Infernal Tutor with the Hellbent clause active. Countering the Tutor will often leave them without resources and will put you in a great position to win, however, sometimes countering a prior spell (such as a Dark Ritual or Cabal Ritual) can be correct instead, despite being less of a blowout. This is really situation dependent, and the only real way to learn this matchup is to practice playing against it a ton. My biggest piece of advice is to try and make plays that maximize your overall chance of winning the game, rather than just minimizing your opponentís chance to go off that turn. For example, Forcing their first Dark Ritual might be the best way to stop them going off, but will also mean that you traded your Force (and another card) for just one of their cards, that is easily replaced. You might want to be more patient with your counter magic and try to stop them going off after theyíve already used more than just one resource. Izzet Staticaster is worth bringing in for this matchup, in case they go for an Empty the Warrens line. Infernal Tutor is usually the best card to name with Meddling Mage: you might be tempted to name Tendrils of Agony, but they will often be able to remove the Mage right before killing you after theyíve seen tons of cards with Ad Nauseam or Past in Flames. Naming Tutor will often prevent them from going off in the first place.

Itís also worth noting that Esperís discard effects give it a better Storm matchup than straight UW or UWr Blade.

Elves (favorable)
Slightly favorable due to Jitte being so insane against them, but Elves can often win in a grind anyway. Similar to D&T, your primary strategy should be to survive until you can start connecting with a Jitte. Glimpse of Nature is a must-counter, as it will quickly bury you in card advantage. Natural Order, of course, is also a must-counter. Donít play out your Jitte before you can actually attack with it, because it could get killed by Reclamation Sage on their turn. Wirewood Symbiote is important to remove for a few reasons: (1) when paired with Elvish Visionary, it becomes a powerful draw engine, (2) it can prevent you from getting counters on your Jitte by bouncing a blocking creature, and (3) they can bounce Reclamation Sage with it to destroy multiple pieces of Equipment.

RG Lands (even)
Lands typically crushes fair blue decks, but we are perhaps the best equipped to fight them because of True-Name Nemesis, a resilient mana base and sideboard Blood Moons/Back to Basics. True Name is very difficult for Lands to answer and will usually force them to try and race you with a Marit Lage token. You can stop Marit Lage with Swords to Plowshares, but this will give your opponent a lot of life and time to reassemble the combo, which is not too difficult for them if they have their Life from the Loam engine going. You will be unfavored in game 1 because of the inevitability that Loam provides for them. Punishing Fire + Grove of the Burnwillows is also a big problem; itís very good at killing Jace and at killing Stoneforge Mystic before you can untap with it.

Post-board, though, you get access to graveyard hate effects that shut down the Loam engine. Rest in Peace is the best because it shuts down both Loam and Punishing Fire at once. Surgical Extraction is also great, as exiling all of their Loans can be a back breaking play, but be careful of them cycling Tranquil Thicket and dredging Loam in response to counter your Surgical.

Blood Moon is simply amazing in this matchup - it shuts off nearly everything they are trying to do. Itís not an automatic win, as they can still beat you with Tireless Tracker, or with Life from the Loam, Molten Vortex and a basic Forest or Mox Diamond. They will also be bringing in 3-4 Krosan Grips to answer it. Nevertheless, itís an extremely powerful hate card that gives UWr Stoneblade lists a distinct advantage over their cousins in this matchup. Back to Basics is also very good, but not quite as impactful as it doesnít actually stop them from playing Dark Depths and Thespianís Stage untapped, or recurring Wasteland and Ghost Quarter.

Meddling Mage can be decent naming Life from the Loam or Punishing Fire. If you have a Blood Moon or Rest in Peace in play, you can also name Krosan Grip to protect it. This still gives them the out of Punishing Fire into Grip, but still puts you in a very strong position.

UWx Stoneblade (mirror match)
As with most control mirrors, the UWx stoneblade mirror is a grindy affair. Pre-board, the most important card is Jace - if youíre able to resolve it and keep it alive for a couple of turns, youíll likely be in a great position to win the game. True-Name Nemesis is also often game breaking once it resolves, particularly in combination with equipment, as many Stoneblade lists donít play answers to it in the main deck outside of Councilís Judgement.

Red stoneblade lists are going to have a distinct advantage in the mirror, since Pyroblast is so incredibly strong. Countering TNN, Jace and Snapcaster Mage for one mana is incredible, and being able to remove a Jace thatís on the field for one mana can save you from sure defeat as well.

Flusterstorm is decent in this matchup as it can help win counter wars over key cards. Force of Will, though often considered a weak card in matchups between ďfairĒ decks such as this, can often still be valuable as the matchup
tends to be more dependent on who can resolve key spells rather than just straight card advantage. I like to shave 1 or 2 copies typically, but keep a couple in. I think itís also fine to shave a Stoneforge Mystic since the games tend to go long and you will run out of equipment to fetch.

UW Miracles (unfavorable)
This matchup plays somewhat similarly to the mirror, but they have a slight advantage. While CounterTop locking out our spells is no longer an issue, they still have a stronger late game thanks to the Predict engine which can create a lot of card advantage. Monastery Mentor can also get out of hand very quickly if not immediately answered.

RB Reanimator (favorable)
Probably the fastest combo deck in Legacy currently (outside of fringe stuff like Belcher), its goal is to try and reanimate a creature turn 1 or 2, often with protection from Force of Will via Chancellor of the Annex or discard spells. If possible they will go for Griselbrand, which is nearly impossible to beat once in play unless they already have a low life total, or Iona, Shield of Emeria, which will name White and give you exactly one out - Jaceís -1 ability. Other times though, they might try to reanimate Chancellor of the Annex or Tidespout Tyrant, which is easily answered with Swords to Plowshares.

You will often have to decide between trying to stop them from putting a creature in the graveyard vs trying to stop their reanimation spells. The former can often be a more effective strategy, as they typically play more reanimation spells than ways to get creatures in the yard. Personally, if they lead with Entomb I like to counter that and try to stop them binning a creature, but if they start with Faithless Looting, I donít like countering it - they are not guaranteed to be able to discard a creature with it, and if they do it might be a Chancellor/Tidespout, which are not nearly as threading as the Griselbrand that would almost surely be fetched by Entomb.

Re: [Primer] UWx Stoneblade

From my experience don't board out lightning bolt vs storm. It kills xantid swarm and occasionally they drop into bolt range after an ad nauseum.

Also, ethersworn cannonist is beast against elves.

Most Storm lists aren't playing Swarms (or green at all) these days. If I saw a green dual game 1, or if I saw green cards game 2, I'd consider leaving bolts in. Otherwise they are just lava spikes, which isn't terrible, but I think probably worse than what we can bring.

You're totally right about Canonist against Elves, that was just an oversight on my part.

Re: [Primer] UWx Stoneblade

I'm still new at Legacy, and for that reason, take my guide with that in mind.

My idea is that i will develop my 75 and my sideboardguide as i get better at Legacy. Hopefully some people will find it usefull, and hopefully people will make comments in such a way that I can improve my list. Ultimately make the perfect UW Blade Control deck.
My current plan for my Magic life is to attend MagiccardMarket Hamburg in september. After that I'm most likely heading for eternal weekend in Oslo in november and then start preparing for the MKM circuit in 2018.
For that reason my current 75 is not going to change till november 2017 as i don't have the time to get enough games in with a new configuration. I will most likely try evolve the list post november 2017.

Keycards: True-Name Nemesis, Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Back to BasicsRole: Tempo / Control Thoughts: This matchup is about slamming a TNN and protect it for the win. In my testing so far, SFM has been inferior and I'm considering to cut that instead of FoW - the idea is, that FoW can protect TNN. Althought 2for1 yourself is very very bad in a matchup where managing your resources is key. I'm still wondering if Hydroblast / Blue Elemental Blast is worth it. The times I've played this matchup, Back to Basics has been key. If you manage to slam it at the right time (when he is tapped out) you will almost always win the match.

Keycards: True-Name Nemesis, Jace the Mind Sculptor, Back to Basics and Sword of Feast and FamineRole: Tempo / ControlThoughts: As with 4C Control, this matchup is about managing your resources and make a TNN stick to take over the game. I still believe B2B is insane against a deck which runs 0 basics. It really punish greedy manabases if you manage to handle DRS.

Keycards: Ethersworn Canonist, FlusterstormRole: Beatdown / ControlThoughts: We need to win, and we need to do it as fast as possible. With that said, the number one priority is to make sure that the ANT-player doesn't win. This could be an argument for taking the controlling rute to victory.

Keycards: Surgical Extraction, Back to Basics, Basic lands, TNN, Karakas, Swords to PlowsharesRole: BeatdownThoughts: If Surgical isnt in the opening, the game needs to be closed fast. Merit Large can't be beaten in a race, but we got plenty of answers. But I've only played this matchup once with UW, so I'm very uncertaint about it.

Keycards: anything that stops Vial and kill creaturesRole: ControlThoughts: I've tried this matchup once and to me it seems like a good matchup to us. TNN + Jitte is hillarious. But be aware that Jitte is one of your best cards, so protect it at all cost! D&T will try kill it with various things like Needle, Revoker, Disenchant etc.

Keycards: Surgical Extraction, Force of WillRole: ControlThoughts: Number one priority is to stop their reanimation. If succeed i believe the odds of winning is fairly high, escpecially if facing the BR version. I havent played against the version running blue yet, sŚ not sure about that matchup.

Keycards: Vendilion Clique, True-Name Nemesis Role: Control / TempoThoughts: I haven't actually played the mirror, but i believe its about the same as any other control mirror. Place a threat, protect it - instant threats are the best as that force the opponent to do something on their own turn. Maybe Containment Priest is worth it, just for the 2/2 instant speed threat?

Keycards: Force of Will (stop Chalice), Back to Basics (lock them out of the game)Role: ControlThoughts: To me this matchup feels like #1 to stop chalice, #2 to time your B2B and after that, win the game with whatever threat you got in your hand.

Keycards:Role:Thoughts: Again theorycraft. Never played the matchup but i figure its about stopping their engines and then ride a TNN/Batterskull to victory.

Grixis Control+2 Hydroblast
+1 Sword of Feast and Famine
-3 Ponder

Keycards: True-Name NemesisRole: ControlThoughts: Feels like this matchup is about answering your opponents threats till the coast is clear for your True-Name Nemesis to take over the game. Sword has been surprisingly good for me so far (if it sticks) and Hydroblast beats keycards such as Young Pyromancer and Kolaghan's Command.

Sultai Delver
+1 Pithing Needle
+2 Back to Basics
+1 Sword of Feast and Famine
-4 Force of Will

Keycards: True-Name Nemesis, Back to BasicsRole: Control / TempoThoughts: Attrition fight, and SFM seems superior in this matchup. If they get locked out by B2B its pretty much win - watch out for Decay thought.

Miracles
+2 Surgical Extractions
+2 Flusterstorm
-4 Force of Will

Keycards: Swords to Plowshares, Jace, the Mind SculptorRole: Tempo / beatdownThoughts: I've tried this matchup once, and my #1 plan was to stop the mentors and it worked out. I won both matches on the back of JTMS so this makes me believe that it is the best/safest wincon. But I'm far from sure of that. About Surgical i don't think it is that good afterall, but sometimes taking away their Mentor or Terminus means our chances of winning is raised by a lot. Its a bet which happens to work out sometimes, but I'm not sure if it is the right call.

Keycards: Stoneforge Mystic, Hydroblast, Basic LandsRole: ControlThoughts: We got alot of Burn in my current meta, which is why this matchup is here. The matchup is all about getting Batterskull online (with protection) and ride it to victory. The reason for Disenchant is to stop their Vortex (and Eidolon). Honestly it feels like a good matchup for UW Blade Control, and I havent lost a match to Burn yet.

Please feel free to make any comments, adjustment or simple talking about my list and the matchups listed here. If you got knowledge about another matchup which is relevant in current meta, then please share. All knowledge is welcome :)

Re: [Primer] UWx Stoneblade

it taps for three mana! everyone knows control decks want mana to cast their big flashy spells. With multiple vales, you can actually bounce and cast Beaterskull in case your SFM dies..

Can't tell if you're serious or not about playing more than one of this card, but when Stoneforge dies, there are other ways to get value from Batterskull without having access to 8 mana to bounce and replay. You can treat it like an extra card in your hand with Brainstorm/Jace, and you can put it back into your library for future Stoneforge triggers. You can also leave it on the field to equip to other creatures.

Re: [Primer] UWx Stoneblade

Re: [Primer] UWx Stoneblade

Sorry, I did not play UWx Stoneblade. Well, I kinda did, but cut the lategame to squeeze in Delver and Dazes. Went 7-2, losing to UWr Stoneblade in r7 and Eldrazi in r8.
I just thought your statement about the skill level at the event was rather strange. My opponents at the top tables played very well (most of the time) and apart from the winner (SnT) no one I saw playing made an above-average amount of punts.
Seeing random dudes punt in r1 or 2 is no indicator of the skill level of the top 5-10%. Only those matter if you wanna make top8.
Cant wait to see you there next time... whats your name?

Re: [Primer] UWx Stoneblade

So I've been thinking about the leovold issue also. I haven't played uwx blade control for quite some time, but with that new Warkite Marauder and a sofi or jitte, I think we are good, I'll be looking into it now. Heck, even without an equipment it still turns on your cantrips until eot. It's probably worth testing.

Re: [Primer] UWx Stoneblade

Originally Posted by Secretly.A.Bee

So I've been thinking about the leovold issue also. I haven't played uwx blade control for quite some time, but with that new Warkite Marauder and a sofi or jitte, I think we are good, I'll be looking into it now. Heck, even without an equipment it still turns on your cantrips until eot. It's probably worth testing.

Maybe Iím not understanding this right, but doesnít warkite marauder trigger leovold as you have to target him? If this is the case doesnít this give the same end result as plowing leovold, albeit in a more roundabout manner?

Originally Posted by sagagx

It seems a good sideboard card to me more than a mandatory maindeck card. For example, I do not really agree with the article of Ben Friedman regarding D&T.

No problem, I enjoy writing this stuff and it helps crystalize things that I learn. Sometimes I worry I write too much and fall into the TLDR category.

Iíll disagree with the sideboard notion. To me sideboard cards are ridiculously costed answers to specific problems. Surgical extraction and flusterstorm are great examples of this. In the right situations theyíre back breaking, in most other situations theyíre useless. Collective brutality is an overcosted answer to many problems. Itís a second line removal spell to STP while simultaneously being a second line discard spell to thoughseize. There are simply more efficient SB cards you should be using instead of brutality.

I will agree with the D&T sentiment, brutality is pretty bad. My deck in general isnít that great against D&T. To put it bluntly, Iíve built my deck around supreme verdict/collective brutality in an effort to combat aggro decks. But D&T isnít really an aggro deck, itís a prison deck dressed like an aggro deck. So basically the two cards Iíve built my deck around donít actually work. Thankfully I donít have to play D&T a lot in my local meta, I think I played it maybe 4-5 times last year? At that rate Iíll just begrudgingly chalk it up as a bad matchup and move on. If it did start becoming a serious contender in the local meta, Iíd probably just start boarding in 2-3 dread of night and just be done with it. As Mike Ehrmantraut says, ďNo half measures.Ē

Originally Posted by sagagx

Transforming Search into another non-basic land seems not that great and Search never flipped is not great. It may be weaker than Night's Whisper for us.

Iíll disagree that search never flipped is not great. The obvious part being in the late game you can stop yourself from drawing excess lands/useless spells. The more complicated/situational answer is going to hinge on how many snapcasters you happen to run. If you run 3-4 snaps, at some point you start viewing the graveyard as an extension of your hand. So tossing potentially useful spells into the yard knowing you can snap them back at will, and then taking what amounts to an extra card maybe isnít such a bad idea.

It can also let you fetch a bit more greedily I suppose. If youíre opponent is staring down a search theyíre probably not going to want to waste your duals.

Originally Posted by sagagx

Last thing regarding Unearth against Grixis Delver. My issue is more on fighting Cabal Therapy than protecting or resurect the SFM. Same thing post board, the issue is with Grudge. I mean I am fighting against the discard spells and grudge more than keeping SFM on the board. How do you value Unearth regarding this aspect of the matchup ?

Everything Iím saying here is theoretical since I havenít played against grixis delver with this list.

Before I start, a mini soap box, IMO the real problem card in grixis delver is gitaxian probe. It tells them exactly whatís up for no cost, so surprise cards like verdict lose value. It allows for busted plays with therapy/pyromancer. And it gives perfect information to a deck looking to kill you in 2-3 turns. And you canít really even stop it, you need to save your spell pierce for things like therapy.

Game 1 the plan depends on the opening hand, and it really helps if you go first. Key thing to remember, just assuming everything in your hand costs 1 more to play around daze. If you can force them to FoW your spells itís much better. They probably wonít use daze on your cantrips unless you really telegraph itís a desperation play. Generally youíre looking to survive the early turns, then leverage your card quality in the late game. You donít have to worry so much about artifact hate G1, but I do use my FoW/spell pierce to deal with therapy.

If I get a ton of point removal, itís fairly straightforward, kill everything, but slow it down by a turn to play around daze. So itíll be something like T2 STP into T3 collective brutality, fetching basics as much as humanly possible along the way.

If I get a hand with supreme verdict I definitely start sculpting a gameplan around it. You definitely want a brainstorm in such a hand to try and hide the verdict if possible. This hand definitely has a bit of a balancing act to it. You want to get maximum value out of verdict, but at the same time you canít just leave grixis delver to its own devices for 4 turns so you should use some point removal. In situations where I know I can cast verdict eventually, I like to kill DRS and delver with point removal. I like sweeping up pyromancer/gurmag with verdict because they both require a level of ďinvestmentĒ which makes a verdict more powerful. TNN also falls under this umbrella for obvious reasons.

Thereís also middle of the road hands with ponders/brainstorms. In this case what you do depends on what your cantrips. Youíll either draw into point removal or maybe dig a verdict out. If your opener doesnít look like either of these three cases itís probably a mulligan.

Game 1 unearth is great, assuming you can find it. They donít have as much artifact hate so unearth SFM can be profitable. Using discard to attack equipment can be a bit trickier, other than countermagic or tucking it with a brainstorm Iím not sure what else you can do. It also lets you cast TNN more freely, casting TNN with 1 mana open forces them to use FoW. On the follow up turn, unearthing it for 1 forces them to FoW again, if they can even do it. Snapping back unearth is just gravy.

For games 2 and 3 hereís what I do:
-3 Thoughtseize
-1 Councilís Judgement(assuming they have daze this ends up costing the same as verdict, too slow)
-3 FoW
-1 Jace(Good late game engine, but probably too slow for this matchup)
+2 Flusterstorm(stops the discard/artifact hate)
+1 Fatal Push
+1 Path to Exile
+1 Engineered Explosives
+1 Unearth
+1 Sword of Fire and Ice(redundancy vs artifact hate)
+1 Supreme Verdict

You really want to drag the game long, drain grixis of resources, then force them to live off the top of their library. This SB plan turns my deck into a pile of removal spells that will trade at minimum 1-1 with their critters. Snapcaster mage, unearth, and playing around daze are value plays that force grixis into 2-1 scenarios. Once you get them into top deck mode, they have the potential to draw a lot of bad cards. Daze, FoW, Bolt(depending on your life) are pretty bad. Depending on the board state even drawing delver and pyromancer can be bad. Eventually youíll stick a TNN, SFM, or Jace they canít deal with and youíll win.

I am still legitimately scared of a probe/therapy as it is one of the few ways grixis has of trading with us at an unfavorable rate. I prioritize this for countermagic

Accept that you will probably to lose 2 equipment in this game. Fetch the least valuable stuff first, like SoFi, and counter the first half of ancient grudge since the flashback cost is harder to stop with pierce/flusterstorm.

Unearth is still just as good in G2 and G3. Unearthing TNN dodges red elemental blast, and its B manacost just about guarantees theyíll have to dump a FoW to stop it. Things they might bring in like marsh casualties arenít that big of a deal either as they just keep putting TNN back in the yard to reanimated.

Re: [Primer] UWx Stoneblade

Originally Posted by First_Revenge

Maybe Iím not understanding this right, but doesnít warkite marauder trigger leovold as you have to target him? If this is the case doesnít this give the same end result as plowing leovold, albeit in a more roundabout manner?

No, I agree you aren't. They get one card. Then their Leo is a 0/1 with no abilities. If your Warkite Marauder has an equipment attached that isn't batterskull, then Leo is dead. If it's not, your cantrips, removal and discard are all still turned on until EOT. Then, you can cantrip, find removal and end him. Its good against a lot more than that though. Anyway, I hope you can find a way to see what I see, but if not, don't fret. I'm sure someone will show you on camera someday, because I'm pretty sure this is the next good blue creature in a string of good blue creatures that have ended up being exactly amazing in this beautiful format.

Re: [Primer] UWx Stoneblade

Its good against a lot more than that though. Anyway, I hope you can find a way to see what I see, but if not, don't fret.

What other circumstances? I could see it being okay against delver, and maybe marit lage if you can get them to make at sorcery speed. Probably decent against something like MUD? Is there something i'm missing?

My continual problem is that i just don't see how this is better than something like fatal push in the SB. Fatal push seems to do most of what marauder wants to do at the half the cost and at instant speed.

Re: [Primer] UWx Stoneblade

Originally Posted by First_Revenge

What other circumstances? I could see it being okay against delver, and maybe marit lage if you can get them to make at sorcery speed. Probably decent against something like MUD? Is there something i'm missing?

My continual problem is that i just don't see how this is better than something like fatal push in the SB. Fatal push seems to do most of what marauder wants to do at the half the cost and at instant speed.

Maybe its just something i have to see on camera to understand fully.

Everything about it just seems really mediocre, I guess it pitches to force of will so that is a plus. This seems just like the karakas interaction but instead of having the potential upside of locking your opponent out blood moon/b2b or wasting them off a colored source you are just drawing them a card. I think that stoneblade has a lot of tools to deal with Leovold i.e. removal, counterspells, discard but it's just a matter of drawing/sequencing things correctly. Sometimes Leovold resolves and there is nothing you can do about but that is why he's the best hatebear they've ever printed.

Originally Posted by sagagx

Thanks for your feedbacks. I agree that Search may be a good answer to Leovold by itself. Regarding you being afraid of opponents Search, I think you are right but it seems not that good in 4cc as their manabase is not ideal. Against Miracles, we may have issue dealing with Search.

That's why I open again the neverending subject, why do not play the red splash. Like you CptHaddock, I switched from esper to straight UW but without success. I had good results with esper, but with the current meta it's too difficult to play black IMHO. The loss of life of Thoughtseize and the manabase are difficult with the need of two white mana.

The red splash brings answers to Leovold, JTMS and Search post board, and you also have an easier pre board game with only 2 colors for your manabase.
I took this example as you (First_Revenge) are sideboarding out FoW and Thoughtseize against 4cc. I think that Jace may be too difficult to fight for esper.

What do you think ?

I like blasts but I found UWr to be really mediocre outside of that. Outside of that I think that all blade decks have a lot of tools for dealing with the 4c matchup. You can try to out CA them with cards like night's whispers or try to go over/wide with planeswalkers. I like being way more proactive with discard, against the bigger control decks in the format I think that snagging a card early is one of the best ways to interact with them. I was trying esper for a while but I couldn't find a build that didn't feel clunky. I'll try the build that first_revenge posted, it looks like is solving a lot of the problems that I was having with my lists.

I feel like a lot of the time when I lose to cards like JTMS, i'm really losing to the cards that lead up to JTMS. If you're looking for another answer to all of these cards Vindicate is a classic.

Originally Posted by ThatDeleuzeGuy

I want to play as close to possible a 100% reactive deck that also approached 0% variance in how it played. I want to play magic with as little variance as possible. Also had a foiled out miracles deck that was an investment of about 6 grand that is now nearly worthless.

Originally Posted by Secretly.A.Bee

My original post did that.

I'd love to have a battle of wits with you but I see you lack the necessary equipment.